Jim Six: Trying to understand terrrorism and the world

Every now and then, I almost convince myself I have a decent handle on terrorism, or the Middle East, or world politics.

Notice, I said “almost.”

Truth is, I wouldn’t understand in thousands of years, which just happens to be the amount of time some of the people in the Middle East have been at each others’ throats. Historically, I may be wrong, but when I hear about Israelis and Palestinians, I think of Israelites and Philistines. But maybe that’s just me.

In London, where the city seems to be concerned enough about the health and welfare of its citizens that it pulls the plug on the once-in-a-lifetime guest appearance of Sir Paul McCartney with Bruce Springsteen, they are preparing for the summer Olympics. Battleships are on the Thames. Missile batteries have been installed on the roofs of apartment buildings. It is, they say, the largest British military build up since World War II.

Let that sink in a minute.

All of this is because of concerns terrorists might decide to do something nasty during the Olympics. (Not that the Olympians will notice, necessarily: According to recently published and broadcast reports, the villages where the athletes live often resemble bacchanalian Rome. Yes, I admit, I am jealous.)

As you might expect, some of those who live in the apartment buildings with rockets on the roof are a bit put off by the idea. They might be targets, they say.

But, if we’re concerned about terrorists, aren’t we all potential targets?

As we’ve noted before, if the terrorists we are concerned about have their origins — by nationality or belief — in the Middle East, there seems to be little we can do to deter them. Many are bent on suicide and, if not, at least expect to die in service of their religion.

We can point out that the new leaders of Egypt are considering whether to destroy the “heathen” pyramids once and for all. That the religious group that took over in Afghanistan after the Russians were routed destroyed religious antiquities that did not reflect their own religion. That religious war has been a part of some cultures for, well, thousands of years.

So when Egyptians taunt Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with rude chants of “Monica! Monica!” and throw shoes at her — a serious insult, showing someone the soles of your shoes — and when London has to arm itself so the best athletes in the world can play some games, well, I suppose I’ll never really understand the world after all.